9/11 bill passes despite Saudi Arabia objections

The US senate passed legislation that would allow families of 9/11 victims to sue the government of Saudi Arabia, rejecting the fierce objections of a US ally and setting congress on a collision course with the Obama administration.

The Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, approved by voice vote, had triggered a threat from Riyadh to pull billions of dollars from the US economy if the bill is enacted.

The legislation, sponsored by senators John Cornyn and Chuck Schumer, gives victims’ families the right to sue in US court for any role that elements of the Saudi government may have played in the 2001 attacks.